This article appears in the August issue of 400 Life.
We asked and you delivered! Here are some of the more unique pets living in Forsyth County. From snakes to lizards, to baby cows, donkeys and squirrels, all of these pets are cherished by their awesome owners! Here is the second batch of pets sent to our staff.
Angela Green
Price V. Green and her little brother, Jase B. Green, have the best pets any one would ask for: Three orphan cows ranging from a few days to a couple weeks old. Bottle feeding Asher, Hope and Champ two times a day is so much fun and watching them play and get special rubs and love from Price and Jase makes missing their Mom seem not so bad.
Grace Clark
I keep quite a few exotic pets, mainly reptiles. I take them to educational events at local schools. This is my albino Western Hognose snake, Pumbaa. She is a fan favorite among family and students, thanks to her bright colors, calm demeanor, and upturned nose.
Most people don’t realize that snakes are shy, misunderstood creatures. Pumbaa and my other snakes help people to overcome their fears and misconceptions.
Snakes play a massive role in our natural habitats by reducing rodent populations, which in turn prevents the spread of disease, parasites and even house fires.
Like many wild animals, snakes are more scared of you than you are of them, so the safest course of action is to leave them alone. Pumbaa hopes you all take this message to heart and have a wonderful, safe summer!
Katelyn Elliott
Meet Peachy! She is a tangerine carrot tail leopard gecko. Born in August 2018, she is now 1 year old. She’s very sociable and friendly. She loves to explore, and she always has a goofy smile on her face. I love Peachy so much, I even made her an Instagram account called @peachygirlgecko. Leos are native to rocky places like Afghanistan. They are insectivores, meaning they only eat bugs. In captivity, they can live up to about 20 years!
Jake Major
I love collecting exotic reptiles. Sunshine, above, is an iguana. She is 1 year old. Ellen the sulcata tortoise, left, is 5.
Bennett Martin
This is George the spotted giecko. Bennett and George live in Cumming.
Gary Mote
Spike is a grey cockatiel, owned by me and my wife, Penny. Spike is 30 years old. Slick is a red translucent hypo leatherback bearded dragon. Slick is the pet of my grandson, Jewett Mote.
Lisa Morgan
This is my son Samuel Morgan’s bearded dragon, Scarlett. She enjoys the sun and warm temperatures.
Brandon Lin
I was a school resource officer for Settles Bridge Elementary. At the end of the year, the teacher in the science lab moved to a different school and she needed to find a home for Timmy, so I said I would take him. I got in trouble with the wife because I brought another animal home. But she quickly started to love him as much as I do. I think he’s a dog trapped in a turtle’s body. I have trained him to follow me by snapping my fingers. He’s something else, you have to see him in person; he’s quite a celebrity. I am opening a restaurant and I’ve named a drink after him: Timmy the Turtle.
Kristy MacKaben
I live in Cumming with my husband, Scott, and three kids, Julie, 13, Johnny 10, and Josie, 4. We also love reptiles. We have a leopard gecko named Candy, a bearded dragon named Thor and a ball python named Venom.
